Stenton Trust Mill Site

In December of 2007, Maine's Department of Environmental Protection (Maine DEP) requested EPA assistance regarding abandoned containers located inside and around the Stenton Trust Mill in Sanford, Maine. In April 2007, EPA conducted a Preliminary Assessment (PA) and Removal Site Investigation (SI) and also obtained significant amounts of historical and analytical data from the EPA New England Brownfields program. EPA used this information and findings from the PA/SI to document the presence of hazardous substances, including PCBs, ignitable and corrosive characteristic wastes (D001 and D002), universal wastes, and a variety of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.

The Stenton Trust Mill initially operated as a textile mill during the 1920s. The 270,000 sq. ft. mill building consists of six distinct areas. These include the five-story Tower A, five-story Tower C, one-story Section B, one-story Section D, the loading dock along the north end of the building and the basement that underlies the entire structure except the loading dock.

Gateway Properties, LLC purchased the property in 1999 from the Stenton Trust. From 1999 to the present, Gateway leased portions of the facility to a variety of light-industrial operations. During this period, the mill building has accumulated a large collection of containers (of various size, condition and contents). The majority of abandoned containers are located in the basement, loading dock area, Section D or along the east side of the building. The building does not have an operating temperature-control system or sprinkler system.

During this period, EPA On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) John McKeown completed the removal objectives listed in the Action Memorandum and coordinated with Maine DEP, the City of Sanford, Gateway LLC (current owner), Gardner Savings Bank (holder of lien) and current businesses operating on the property.

EPA divided the cleanup into four separate actions. The first was transformer removal and disposal. ERRS subcontracted the removal, transportation and disposal (T&D) of the eleven (11) transformers to ENPRO, who subcontracted the T&D to Transformers Services Inc. (TSI). On September 30, 2008, TSI used a crane to move the transformers from the transformer pad and loading dock onto a flatbed truck. TSI drained the transformer oil into a 500-gallon poly tote and transported the transformer oil and the empty containers to an EPA-approved disposal facility.

Next were the 55-gallon drum inventory, recovery and disposal. ERRS characterized, over-packed and staged all 55-gallon drums containing hazardous substances in section D of the mill building. ERRS subcontracted the T&D of the 55-gallon drums to Clean Venture General Chemical (CVGC). On September 30, 2008, CVGC completed the T&D of all 55-gallon drums to an EPA-approved disposal facility.

The third action was inventory, recovery and disposal of all remaining containers of hazardous substances. ERRS completed characterizing the hazardous substances in containers smaller than 55 gallons, and then staged the containers in Section D of the mill building. ERRS subcontracted CVGC to complete T&D of the containers. On September 30, 2008, CVGC completed the T&D of the containers to an EPA-approved disposal facility.

The fourth task was recovery and disposal of Universal Waste. On September 13 and 15, 2008, ERRS shipped two rolloffs of computer-related universal waste (monitors, CPUs, keyboards, printers...) to an EPA-approved disposal facility. EPA grouped the fluorescent bulbs and PCB ballasts with the small containers for T&D. On September 20, 2008, CVGC completed T&D of the fluorescent bulbs and PCB ballasts to an EPA-approved disposal facility. EPA, START and ERRS completed work at the Stenton Trust Mill site on September 30.

*The information contained on this website is merely informational; any dates found on the website cannot be relied upon to create any rights, substantive or procedural, enforceable by any party in litigation with the United States. EPA reserves the right to change such dates at any time without public notice.